Contact lens filing and reclassifying card

ABSTRACT

A card or paper-like material for use in reclassifying contact lenses has regularly arranged thereon plurality of sets of the same indicia for recording at each set in writing several specifications of a contact lens. Associated with each indicia set is a circular aperture in the card of a diameter slightly smaller than that of a contact lens so that a lens can be supported convex side down in an aperture to inhibit displacement while its specifications are being recorded at the associated indicia set. Preferably, a set of identical cards are detachably arranged in a pad having a backing member provided with apertures of the same size as, and in registration with, those in the cards.

1 States Patent [191 McClernon Dec. 31, 1974 (IONTACT LENS FILING ANDRECLASSIFYING CARD [21] Appl. No.: 384,394

[52] US. Cl. 206/5.l, 206/459 Primary Examiner-William I. PriceAssistant Examiner-Joseph Man- Fu Moy Attorney, Agent, or FirmCushmanDarby & Cushman 5 7] ABSTRACT A card or paper-like material for use inreclassifying contact lenses has regularly arrangedthereon a pluralityof sets of the same indicia for recording at each set in writing severalspecifications of a contact lens. Associated with each indicia set is acircular aperture in the card of a diameter slightly smaller than thatof a contact lens so that a lens can be supported convex side down in anaperture to inhibit displacement while its specifications are beingrecorded at the associated indicia set. Preferably, a set of identicalcards are detachably arranged in a pad having; a backing member providedwith apertures 0f the same size as, and in registration with, those inthe cards.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures F/A'ENTEU 3,8571%80 UNI/a (M0 0 0 O 0CONTACT LENS FILING AND RECLASSIFYING CARD This invention relates to asimple and improved means for facilitating the reclassification andfiling of contact lenses.

Contact lens practitioners usually maintain a large collection ofcontact lenses of different specifications for readily fitting patients.These lenses are stored in lens containers which are filed, in anappropriate filing cabinet, by one or more specifications, such as basecurve, dioptric value or power, size or color. On many occasions contactlenses are fitted to a patient for a trial period, and subsequentlyreplaced with lenses having different specifications at the end of thetrial period. These replaced lenses frequently need to be remeasuredbefore refiling the same, because of alterations or modifications madethereto during the trial period. For various other reasons, a contactlens practitioner may acquire a number of contact lenses which need tobe remeasured prior to being refiled.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to pro vide an improvedcard for facilitating the reclassification of contact lenses.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved card ofthe type under consideration which greatly inhibits displacement of acontact lens while supported thereon.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved card of thetype under consideration which accommodates lenses in a range of largersizes and in a range of smaller sizes.

it is still another object of this invention to provide an improved padcontaining detachable and disposable cards of the improved type underconsideration.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an improved card embodying this invention tofacilitate reclassifying contact lenses.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, with parts broken away to show details, ofa pad of disposable cards of the type shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion ofthe card shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the positioning and support of acontact lens thereon.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a generallyrectangular card having a plurality of regularly arranged horizontal andvertical rows of sets 12 of the same contact lens indicia printed orotherwise inscribed thereon. Each set 12 comprises a number ofvertically spaced horizontal lines, e.g., six, for recording thereoncontact lens specifications. Printed at the lefthand edge of the firstfour lines are abbreviations, BC, for base curve, PR, for power ordioptric value, 52, for size, and CO, for color. No abbreviations areassociated with the bottom two lines, and they can be used by a contactlens practitioner for recording any other specifications for a contactlens which he desires. Associated with each set 12 of the contact lensindicia is a circular aperture 14 in the card 10 of a size slightlysmaller than a contact lens to be supported thereat. Preferably, theaperture 14 is located adjacent the top of its associated indicia set12. In using the card 10, after a lens 16 has been measured, it isplaced on an aperture l4, convex side down, as shown in FIG. 3, and

the specifications of the lens then recorded on the indicia set 12therebelow.

The card 10 preferably is made of a relatively thick, and preferablywaterproof paper-like material which will not become warped or otherwiseacquire a roughened or wrinkled surface in the event drops of moistureare inadvertently or accidentally dropped upon the card while in use.The paperlike material, though preferably somewhat stiff, also isrelatively soft and so will not scratch a contact lens, which normallyis made of a hard plastic material, while the lens is supported by theedge of an aperture 14. It will be seen that because the convex side ofa lens 16 depends into the aperture 14, as shown in FIG. 3, the lens issupported by the edge or rim of the aperture and such support minimizesshifting or displacement of the lens while supported on the card 10.

It also will be seen that the indicia sets 12 are spaced inwardly fromthe left and right-hand edges and from the bottom of the card 10 toprovide indicia-free margins 18, 20 and 22 therealong. Thus, the card 10may be restrained against movement, while being written on, by thefingers of the nonwriting hand of the writer engaging the left 18, right20 or lower margins 22 of the card. The card 10 normally will have aplurality of lenses 16 supported thereon while the latter are beingreprocessed or reclassified preparatory to being stored and filed.Hence, the card 10 cannot be restrained against movement by the writinghand of the writer because the fingers or other portions of the writinghand would contact and displace the lenses.

As is known, most hard contact lenses vary in diameter from about? mm toabout 10 mm. in order to achieve proper support for this range of sizesof lenses, it is preferable that a smaller aperture be used for a rangeof sizes of the smaller lenses, and a larger aperture be used for arange of sizes of the larger lenses. Such larger aperture also issatisfactory for supporting so-called soft or hydrophilic contact lenseswhich normally are even larger than the largest size hard contactlenses. For this purpose it further will be seen that the indicia sets12 preferably are arranged in adjacent pairs, separated by a verticalline 24. For example, there are four such adjacent pairs in eachhorizontal row of the indicia sets 12. The two sets 12 of each adjacentpair preferably have associated therewith lens supporting apertures 14of different size. The rim of the larger of the two apertures 14 willsupport contact lenses in a range of larger sizes, while the rim of thesmaller of the two apertures will support lenses in a range of smallersizes.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, there is shown the preferredform of the invention which embodies a pad 26 of identical cards 10 ofthe type shown in FIG. 1. The pad 26 preferably has a cover 28, abacking member 30, and means securing the cover 28, cards 10 and backingmember 30 together. The cards 10 are detachably secured to the pad 26along their upper edges so as to be removable and disposable after use,although normally the cards will be used while still secured to the pad.Appropriate securement of the component parts of the pad 26 together maybe had by ribbon-like means 32 which is folded over the upper marginaledge portions of the cover 28 and backing member 30 and has an adhesiveon its inner side for detachably securing the upper edges of the cards10 to the ribbon-like means.

It also will be seen that the backing member 30, which preferably is ofordinary relatively soft cardboard somewhat thicker than the thicknessof the cards 10, is provided with apertures 34 of the same size as, andin registration with, the apertures 14 in the cards. The backing member30, and the apertures 34 therein, serve two functions. First, when onlytwo or three cards remain in the pad 26, the member 30 prevents thecentral portion of a lens 16, which depends through an aperture 14 in acard 10 below the lower surface of the latter, from contacting anunderlying hard padsupporting surface, such as a desk or table, whichpossibly might scratch the lens. Second, the apertures 34 in the backingmember 30 permit a lens to depend thereinto so as to be properlysupported by the edges or rim of its aperture 14, without beingdisplaced upwardly, by contact with an underlying unperforated backingmembet, and thus subject to being more readily displaced.

It thus will be seen that the objects of this invention have been fullyand effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however, that thespecific embodiment shown and described is susceptible to modificationwithout departure from the principles of invention. Hence, the inventionencompasses all modifications within the spirit and scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article for use in reclassifying contact lenses comprising:

a rectangular card containing at separate locations thereon a pluralityof regularly arranged sets of the same indicia for recording at each setin writing several specifications of a concavo-convex contact lens; and

a circular aperture in said card adjacent each said indicia set, saidaperture being of a diameter slightly smaller than that of a contactlens, whereby a lens being reclassified and to have its specificationsrecorded on said card at one of said indicia sets may be positioned,convex side down, in the aperture adjacent said one set to inhibitdisplacement of the lens while supported on said card.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the card is relativelystiff, relatively thick and made of paper material.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the card is made ofsubstantially waterproof paper-like material.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the indicia sets andapertures are spaced inwardly of the side and bottom edges of the cardto provide margins engageable by the fingers of a recorder to restrainthe card against movement while writing thereon without interferencewith the indicia or lenses supported on the card.

5. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the apertures are of twodifferent sizes for accommodating lenses in a range of larger diametersand lenses in a range of smaller diameters.

6. A pad comprising:

a stack of identical cards as defined in claim 1;

a card-like relatively thick backing member for said stack havingapertures therein of the same size as, and aligned with, the aperturesin said cards; and

means detachably securing said cards and backing member together alongtheir top edges.

* l l l

1. An article for use in reclassifying contact lenses comprising: arectangular card containing at separate locations thereon a plurality ofregularly arranged sets of the same indicia for recording at each set inwriting several specifications of a concavo-convex contact lens; and acircular aperture in said card adjacent each said indicia set, saidaperture being of a diameter slightly smaller than that of a contactlens, whereby a lens being reclassified and to have its specificationsrecorded on said card at one of said indicia sets may be positioned,convex side down, in the aperture adjacent said one set to inhibitdisplacement of the lens while supported on said card.
 2. The structuredefined in claim 1 in which the card is relatively stiff, relativelythick and made of paper material.
 3. The structure defined in claim 1 inwhich the card is made of substantially waterproof paper-like material.4. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the indicia sets andapertures are spaced inwardly of the side and bottom edges of the cardto provide margins engageable by the fingers of a recorder to restrainthe card against movement while writing thereon without interferencewith the indicia or lenses supported on the card.
 5. The structuredefined in claim 1 in which the apertures are of two different sizes foraccommodating lenses in a range of larger diameters and lenses in arange of smaller diameters.
 6. A pad comprising: a stack of identicalcards as defined in claim 1; a card-like relatively thick backing memberfor said stack having apertures therein of the same size as, and alignedwith, the apertures in said cards; and means detachably securing saidcards and backing member together along their top edges.